The Internet is a worldwide network of computers and computer networks arranged to allow the easy and robust exchange of information between the users of the computers. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have access to computers connected to the Internet via one of the hundreds of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Content providers place multimedia information, i.e. graphics and sounds, and other forms of data at specific locations on the Internet referred to as web sites that are typically hosted by website hosting providers. Each web site may include one or more interconnected web pages. Web sites typically have a structure or design whereby a User may easily move back and forth, using menus or links, among the web pages in the web site. The combination of all the web sites and their corresponding web pages on the Internet is generally known as the World Wide Web (web or WWW).
Web pages may be created using HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to generate a standard set of tags that define how the web pages associated with a web site will be displayed. Users of the Internet may access content providers' web sites using a software program known as a browser. After the browser has located a desired web page, it requests and receives information from the web page, typically in the form of an HTML document, and then displays the web page's content for the user. The user may thereafter view other web pages at the same web site or may move to an entirely different web site using the browser.
Browsers are able to locate different web sites because web sites on the Internet generally have a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with them. IP addresses are 32 bit binary numbers, but are typically shown in dotted decimal notion, e.g. 192.145.68.112, to improve human readability. However, IP addresses, even in dotted decimal notation, are difficult to remember and use by people. Domain names are much easier to remember and may be associated with an IP address.
Individuals, companies, and other entities that provide content on the web generally want to use their name or one of their trademarks as part of their domain name. Thus, domain names are generally company trademarks, personal names or short phrases concatenated with a top level domain name (TLD) extension (e.g. .com, .net, .org, .us, .biz, etc.). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) approves all TLDs and delegates the responsibility to a particular organization (hereinafter Registry) for maintaining an authoritative source for the registered domain names within a TLD and their corresponding IP addresses. There is one organization, or Registry, for each of the ICANN approved TLDs. For certain TLDs, e.g. .biz, .info, .us, the Registry is also the authoritative source for contact information related to the domain name. For other TLDs, e.g. .com, .ws, .net, a Registrar is the authoritative source for the contact information related to the domain name. The Shared Registration System (SRS) is a central system for all accredited registrars to access, register and control domain names.
The process for registering a domain name with a particular Registry allows a Customer to use an ICANN-accredited Registrar. For example if John Doe wishes to register the domain name “JohnDoe.com”, John Doe may initially verify whether the desired domain name is or is not available by contacting a Registrar. The Customer may make this contact using the Registrar web site and typing the desired domain name into a field in the Registrar web site created for this purpose. Upon receiving the request from the Customer, the Registrar may ascertain whether “JohnDoe.com” has already been registered by checking the WHOIS database of the Registry associated with the TLD of the domain name or with the open SRS WHOIS database of the Registrar. The results of the search may then be displayed on the web site to thereby notify the Customer of the availability of the domain name. If the domain name is available, the Customer may proceed with the registration process. Otherwise, the Customer may have to keep selecting alternative domain names until an available domain name is found.
In an effort to increase the number of domain names they register, Registrars may enable Resellers to offer domain name registration services to the Resellers' Customers. In this system, Resellers may coordinate their efforts with a Registrar in registering domain names to the Resellers' Customers by allowing the Reseller's Customers to hyperlink to a web page or web site designed or customized by the Reseller, but operated by the Registrar. This approach has the advantage of allowing each Reseller to be able to customize the Registrar's web page or web site so that each Reseller may continue to use its brands, trademarks, color schemes, etc. to retain and build the Reseller's Customers' loyalty and confidence in the Reseller.